But just because self-awareness is important doesn’t mean it’s easy. It’s hard to take an unbiased look at your performance and your workplace, especially when it’s your job to lead with confidence. In fact, the most difficult moment to be self-aware is when you begin to realize that you or your management team might be causing the problem.

If you’re starting to think your leadership team might be to blame for emerging challenges in your workplace, don’t try to run away. The quickest and most painless solution is to practice self-awareness and face them head-on. These common symptoms can help you diagnose and treat management problems in your company.

Symptom 1: High Performers Are Leaving

It’s natural for star employees to move on to new careers at different companies. The best leaders coach employees to become the best they can be, even if that means leaving the organization that trained them. However, if you’ve noticed a sharp increase in turnover of your highest performers and hardest workers, you may have a management problem on your hands.

There are a number of effective strategies you can implement to reduce turnover, but try to focus on the ones that involve reflecting on your management style. For example, review how much recognition and praise you give to employees, or how you evaluate and adjust workloads throughout the year. And make the most of your exit interviews with employees by asking them to provide feedback on your performance as a manager.

Self-awareness really pays off when it comes to troubleshooting a toxic culture. After all, the workplace magnifies a leader’s personality and working style. What might be a small flaw in your communication style — being too brusque, or being too talkative — can have a butterfly effect on the rest of your team and impact the culture in a way you might not have considered. Carefully observe how toxicity presents in your culture and see if any of the symptoms trace back to your management habits.

Symptom 3: Employees Are Burning Out

Employee burnout hits the hardest workers first — they’re the ones cranking out the midnight oil to get things done, and they’re the ones that care the most. But we all know what happens when you’re the only one who cares: after a while, you break down and you just don’t think it’s worth it anymore.

While it might seem like the easiest solution is to blame a bad culture on a toxic environment or a few bad hires, sometimes all signs point to the management. Use these tips to diagnose and work around acute culture issues that stem from management. Because no matter how uncomfortable it may be to dig deep into your culture problems, you and your company will reap enormous benefits from practicing authentic self-awareness.

AuthorSarah Greesonbach

Sarah is a writer for CultureIQ. By analyzing and condensing cutting-edge research and data, she helps leaders and HR professionals develop their instincts and arrive at actionable insights for employee engagement and business performance. She loves to consider the possibilities of humanizing, organizing, and minimalizing all things HR.